F1 fans dreaming of the race action one day coming to a city near them is a step closer to reality, after motoring experts devise the high-octane street circuits across five of the UK’s largest cities outside of London.
Motoring buffs at car leasing specialists All Car Leasing worked with British racing driver, Jon Lancaster, to design what the routes would look like if cities such as Liverpool were to emulate iconic street circuits – Monaco, Singapore and Baku.
The new track layouts viewed here, showcase Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Cardiff and drill down on criteria for each circuit ranging from estimated maximum speeds F1 drivers will expect to reach, noise control and even quality of road surfaces and potholes.
The first grand prix in Wales starts on Central Link and the drivers set off down the majority of the 1.3 kilometre straight, passing Bute East Dock to their left. The drivers pass Cardiff Arena and the Masonic Hall, making their way through a group of potholes as they wind around to Cardiff Castle.
The Cardiff Grand Prix features:
- Length – 6.2 km
- Direction – Clockwise
- Laps – 49
- Top Speed – 215 MPH
- Corners – 14
- Bus Routes affected – 37
- Major potholes – 14
- Potential socially distanced attendance – 36,000
- Sites of interest – Bute East Dock, Cardiff Arena, Masonic Hall, Cardiff Castle, Principality Stadium
Ronnie Lawson-Jones of All Car Leasing, who led the team designing the tracks, commented: “There has been a lot of speculation around London being a possible rival to Silverstone, but we wanted to look a bit further afield and explore what other major cities have to offer to a showcase event such as F1.
“Taking our inspiration from Monaco, we had great fun creating the street circuits and imagining the sights and sounds a Grand Prix would bring to race fans and cities such as Birmingham and Cardiff. I think my favourite track is Liverpool and imagine the atmosphere would make it an amazing spectacle.”
British racing driver, Jon Lancaster, who worked with All Car Leasing to design the routes, commented: “It would be fantastic to for race fans to experience a street circuit in the UK. It will of course be difficult to outshine Silverstone as that is recognised by most as the home of motorsport, but all of these track designs provide something special and the scenes and breathtaking landmarks would be some of the most picturesque ever witnessed.”
“My favourite track is Birmingham. The first corner just lends itself to great racing as drivers can be aggressive and there’s minimum chance of incident but I’m also a fan of the first few corners of the Liverpool track. I think the biggest challenge out of all the circuits would be the section from the Arndale Centre in Manchester all the way past Victoria Station, this would challenge the drivers and their cars to the max, making for excellent viewing.”
